


Here Come the Vultures

by CorvusRex



Series: Excerpts from a Scattered Mind [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ABO dynamics, Alpha Lance (Voltron), Alpha Pidge | Katie Holt, Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Allura (Voltron), Beta Hunk (Voltron), Beta Matt, Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), M/M, Omega Keith (Voltron), Omegaverse, musician au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusRex/pseuds/CorvusRex
Summary: Castle of Lions was a hugely successful European-styled metal band.  The only problem was the part where Keith Kogane, the band's vocalist, was an Omega.  It was a necessary secret, given how society viewed male Omegas, and one that the band and their label swore to keep.  But just how long can it stay a secret?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Excerpts from a Scattered Mind [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143308
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Here Come the Vultures

**Author's Note:**

> I had been planning to take a temporary break from this series to focus on updating my existing projects, but I found out last night that the band whose song inspired the name of this story recently broke up after 16 years. So I'm posting this now in memory of Delain
> 
> Band Lineup and Group Chat:
> 
> Keith/Kiki – lead vocals  
> Lance/ElectricBlue – lead guitar  
> Shiro/Shirogayne – guitars  
> Pidge/Pidgeot – keyboard  
> Matt/BASSicBitch - bass  
> Hunk/ActualCinnamonRoll – drums  
> Allura/Princess – manager

The drums ended, then the bass, then the keyboard, and finally one of two guitars. Only the second guitar’s electric hum and Keith’s smoky vocals continued. The last note died on the strings, Keith’s voice fading a few seconds later. The recording booth remained silent until the band’s manager burst into the room.

“Oh my god, that was amazing! This is going to be the best album yet!” Allura announced.

“Allura, chill,” Keith said with a laugh.

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Lance said, turning back from setting his guitar down on its stand, “You’ve never sounded better, cuervo.”

“Don’t make this about me.”

Pidge snorted. “Please don’t. I couldn’t handle him turning into a diva. One of you’s bad enough.”

“Well fuck you too,” Lance said, flipping her off, while Matt only sighed at his sister.

“Alright. I need to be in a meeting with Coran in a few minutes,” Allura interrupted, “And I believe you six have a lunch reservation?”

Coran Wimbleton-Smythe, a legend in the business, was Castle of Lions’ producer. He was the one who had sold Alfor Altea, owner, founder, and CEO of Oriande Records, as well as Allura’s father, on the gothic-aesthetic metal band. They were young then, all eighteen with the exception of Shiro and Matt, who had only just hit twenty. Coran knew that they were all serious about their craft, even at their young age, and knew that they needed to be given the chance to prove it.

He had overseen recording for all of their albums, this one, King & Princess, included, but had been called into an unrelated meeting with Alfor that couldn’t wait just as they were recording the last track, 10,000 Years. Allura may have been the band’s manager and not a producer, but he trusted her.

Hunk stepped out from behind his drum kit. “Yeah we do,” he said.

“Marmora Club in,” Shiro checked his phone, “Forty-five minutes. Better get going if we want to beat traffic.”

“Can’t upset Mom,” Keith teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shiro dismissed, “I’ll drive.”

Hunk called shotgun before Pidge or Matt had the chance. Matt quickly claimed the entire center row for himself. None of them particularly wanted to be trapped in the backseat rows of Shiro’s SUV with their mated friends who could barely keep their hands off each other given the chance. But surprisingly, Lance and Keith behaved themselves for the trip across LA. The worst Pidge had to deal with was awkward, seat belted cuddling.

Marmora Club was a members-only, two-story restaurant where members still had to make reservations, and was co-owned by Keith and Shiro’s mother Krolia and her long-time friend Erik Kolivan. One of its biggest benefits was that it was a strictly no paparazzi zone. Marmora’s security team made sure of that. Not that it stopped tourists and fans of members.

That was what the members of Castle of Lions were greeted with when they stepped out of Shiro’s black SUV. Shiro was handing over the keys to the parking attendant, the rest of the band still getting out of the vehicle when they heard it.

“Oh. My. God. Is that seriously Castle of Lions?”

“Where?”

“Ohmygod, they’re right over there.”

Hunk sighed, Pidge just rolled her eyes, and Keith tried to become one with Lance’s chest. Matt was pretty much always ready and willing to engage with their fans, but Pidge stopped him. Lance, to his credit, simply ignored their fans, leading the way inside Marmora, Shiro following quickly. Their lunch reservation was meant to be a quiet celebration. That day marked the last day of recording for their third studio release for Oriande Records, King & Princess. It was a tradition started with their first album, Kerberos. 

Kerberos had met with high praise from critics for a debut, but took off when it hit music streaming platforms. Sales continued to climb, even with (untrue and quickly dismissed) rumors that both Matt and Shiro were leaving the band, gaining speed when they toured. The band didn’t have time to keep track of things like that, and didn’t find out until the tour was finished just how popular they’d become within their audience. Their numbers had exploded in the time it took to tour, and fans were hungry for more.

They had only taken a few months off after touring before they were back in the studio, working steadily on their sophomore release. The band’s popularity had soared after the release of their second album, Paladin. That had been two years earlier. When the first single from Paladin, Through the Lens, was released, they found their fanbase growing. Paladin was finally finished and released, and the band hit the road again. It was during the beginning of that tour that Lance and Keith announced that they were going to be bonded after the tour was over.

The band had made a point of not mentioning their secondary sexes, but it mattered the most for Keith. The other members may have been Alphas, in Lance, Pidge, and Shiro’s cases, or Betas, Hunk and Matt, but Keith was an Omega. No one would have batted an eye were he a female Omega, but he wasn’t. Female Betas and Omegas were seen as being stronger for going against outdated stereotypes of their primary and secondary sexes. But it was a different story entirely for male Omegas. No matter what they did, they were perceived as being less than. Overly emotional, constantly hormonal, something that needed to be tamed and controlled. It was a stereotype that persisted, regardless of what the dynamic did or said, regardless of scientific study and research proving those stereotypes false. The general consensus was that they needed a strong Alpha to keep them pregnant and quiet. So for Keith to be the vocalist for a popular European-styled metal band was unheard of. He knew it, and so did the other members of Castle of Lions. It was a secret they all silently agreed to keep.

Head of Marmora’s security, Theo Antok, greeted the band with a friendly nod as they rushed past to avoid rabid fans. He was physically intimidating, a solid wall of muscle that stood at 6’7”, and while he could more than handle himself against any threat to the building or members’ security, long time members knew it was a professional act and that he was genuinely friendly and had a wicked sense of humor.

The lobby of the Marmora Club was decorated in the same colors and textures as the rest of the club. Gunmetal grey and black walls, deep violet velvet upholstery, lush, dark, steel-blue carpeting. The wide, solid black host stand was occupied by Léa-Victoire Ilun, lead hostess and head of waitstaff. The slender brunette kept her professional appearance spotlessly neat, adding to the severity she could project when necessary. But she greeted the band with familiar warmth.

“Hey, guys. You’re upstairs today,” she said, “Oh, there’s been a slight change. Aiko and crew are here and asked that you all be seated together.” Léa-Victoire led them up to the semi-enclosed balcony dining area on the second floor.

Instead of their usual round table, there was a long rectangular table with truncated corners taking up their accustomed spot. Four spots as the end of the table for ten were occupied by the members of Kova, the classical crossover group Shiro’s half-sister and Keith’s twin Aiko was a part of. The other three spots taken by Natalia, Rose, and Alexandra.

Aiko had been dedicated to the violin since they were children, and when she met her three best friends at a music camp, the beginning of what would become Kova was born. They decided on stage names, adopting Acxa, Narti, Ezor, and Zethrid, respectively. Aiko’s siblings couldn’t really fault her for it, since they’d done similar. Shiro had used that name since middle school when he finally got tired of everyone mispronouncing Takashi, and shortened the family name he’d gotten from his father, Shirogane. Krolia had gone alliterative with her twins, and by high school, Keith had relegated his birth name Akira to legal documents. They had all gotten so used to it that they rarely used each other’s legal names, the rest of Kova included. Matt Holt was the only member of either group who _hadn’t_ heavily altered or changed his name in some way.

“We’re crashing your party,” Narti said dryly.

“Oh my god, Narti,” Ezor giggled.

“Heard those girls screeching from up here,” Zethrid added, “Nice to see you made it out alive.”

“Meh, Theo wouldn’t have let them get close,” Matt shrugged, taking a seat.

Pidge joined him, ending up between her brother and Ezor. Keith slipped in beside Narti, Lance taking his other side. Hunk sat opposite Matt, and Shiro sat at the end of the table opposite his sister.

“That’s good, coming from you,” Pidge said, “You were all set to go over to them.”

“And you know why we can’t without being prepared,” Lance added, casting a sideways glance at his mate.

“I am getting so fucking tired of this. I haven’t been out in public without a scent mask in six years. I’m just lucky I don’t have too much of a sweet scent like most of us.” Keith hadn’t meant to whine, but his situation was difficult. They all knew it, and no one faulted him for being upset with it. But the avoided encounter outside had set him off without him even realizing it until then. He turned to Lance. “What happens when we decide to have pups? We want to, but I can’t just disappear for a year. I just – I’m sorry, we were supposed to be celebrating. We finished recording, and this is supposed to be relax time. Not ‘Keith bitches about life’ time.”

Hunk leaned forward and across Lance. “No one blames you for feeling like this, dude. We never have and we’re not gonna start now.”

“Hunk’s right, babe,” Lance said, pulling Keith into his side, “It sucks, it always has. But you have this amazing talent. Yeah, hiding your Omega status from the world is awful and it hurts, but think about how you’d feel if we weren’t where we are now.”

Keith didn’t know when she’d gotten there, but Acxa was beside him, having traded seats with Narti. She leaned forward, taking her twin’s free hand. “Hey, remember when we were kids, and we promised that we’d always back each other up? I’m still here. You’ve done what you had to to be able to get your music out there. And, yeah, so have I, but I'm an Alpha and no one gives a shit. You’ve already proven twice that you’re not what ‘society’ has decided you’re supposed to be. And as soon as the new album drops, you'll prove it again. Maybe it’s time you stopped hiding.” She looked up to find everyone staring at her. Acxa made sure to lock eyes with all of Castle of Lions. “I know you guys. I have for years. And I know you all fully support Akira,” she had become so emotional for her twin she didn’t even notice the slip, “Please be the family you are. He’ll need it.”

“I’m a male Omega,” Keith said to his sister, “This could kill the band. I can’t be that selfish. It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us. I’ll be fine. I just got a little upset. Hiding my secondary sex is the price I paid to have the music career I’ve dreamed of since we were little. And I’ll keep doing it for as long as I have to.”

“And no one’s going to fight you on that,” Lance agreed, “But the second it starts impacting you, like your health, all bets are off. That’s way more important than us being famous, mi cuervo. You’re more important than that.”

The Omega snuggled into his mate as best he could. “Thanks, babe. You too, Aiko. But killing the mood is totally on me.”

Everyone, dry, sarcastic Narti included, made a concerted effort to lighten the mood over lunch. It worked, and even Keith was laughing by the end of it. Castle of Lions had to be back to the studio for a meeting after they finished, leaving Kova alone.

Zethrid leaned back in her chair. “Ah, fuck,” she swore.

“What, baby girl?” Ezor asked her girlfriend.

“I just kinda feel like Keith losing it was really my fault. I was the one who brought up the fan thing.”

“That’s not your fault. The whole thing sucks,” Narti reasoned.

Before Zethrid could argue, Acxa jumped in. “No, she’s right. Keith’s been upset about this since they got signed. He knew what he was getting into, but the music’s always been more important. Still is. Having a near miss with unexpected fans is what set him off. You didn’t do anything.”

“Yeah, I know. Just makes me feel bad when this shit happens,” Zethrid sighed.

Ezor climbed in her lap, straddling the Alpha cellist. “Aw, you’re such a softie, baby girl. It’s why I love you.”

Acxa and Narti just ignored them.

The meeting at Oriande was routine, going over their publicity schedule to promote King & Princess. Now that recording was finished, the rest of the raw tracks had been handed over for post-production. The band would have final say, but they needed to be mastered, mixed, and edited, and radio edits made for their unreleased singles. That would take another two months, and in that time, Castle of Lions had a tight media schedule. Interviews, late night talk show appearances, photo shoots, and rehearsing and filming music videos were all included over those two months. The band knew it was going to be pure hell. And that didn’t even include a couple of livestreams Allura had worked in, one for answering fan questions, and the other as an acoustic mini concert. Pidge had sunk so low in her chair she was almost under the table. At least they had the rest of the day off. The six of them scattered, getting home as quickly as possible.

Keith hit the button for their front gate and Lance pulled his cobalt blue Audi Spyder into the driveway. Keith had gotten it for him for his last birthday, but it was also a little self-indulgent as well. He loved the car, and loved it even more when Lance put the pedal down and opened up the engine. Of course, Keith also loved doing the same thing with his own blood red Maserati MC20.

After the success of Paladin, they had allowed themselves the indulgence of their dream cars. Shiro had gotten himself a pure black Cadillac Escalade, Pidge finally got her lime green Porsche 911, while Hunk went all in for a yellow Dodge Charger. Matt fell in love with a silver Mercedes AMG GT Roadster, he’d even gotten a vanity plate for it that read BZRN7. They knew that the N7 was in reference to his girlfriend Nirvana, but he wouldn’t tell anyone what BZR meant. Keith got his Maserati MC20, and Lance had gotten the Audi Spyder, Keith just updated it to the newest model for his last birthday.

Lance parked next to Keith’s Maserati in the garage, the automatic door closing behind them. Keith sat for a minute, collecting his thoughts after his meltdown at lunch, and was startled by Lance opening the passenger door. His Alpha took his hands, pulling him out of the car. Keith found himself wrapped up, both physically in Lance’s arms, and also in a blanket of calming pheromones. The Omega snuggled into it, allowing himself to be calmed by his mate’s hold and scent.

“I wish it didn’t have to be like this, either. But I don’t know if the world is really ready. Our generation doesn’t care, but our parents’ does, and our grandparents’. If we weren’t who we are, it would be constant. Being told that I'm a weak Alpha for not controlling you properly. You being harassed and verbally assaulted, total strangers getting in your face about why haven’t you given your Alpha pups yet. You remember what it was like in high school, and we weren’t even adults yet. We certainly didn’t make it a secret that we were together, and we already had people asking how long after graduating were we waiting to matebond.” Lance held on tighter. He was angry with the world for how it treated male Omegas. He wanted to protect Keith from it, even if his status wasn’t public knowledge.

“High school sucked. I had to have someone with me all the time. I couldn’t go anywhere alone. I had assholes telling me that I wouldn’t be allowed to have a career in music. That you wouldn’t allow it after we were bonded. Like that was going to change anything.” Keith held on to Lance just as tightly, feeling like the only place he was truly safe was in his mate’s arms.

“You wanna stay home today? Get changed, make popcorn, order in, watch all our favorite movies?”

Keith nuzzled Lance’s scent gland and sighed in relief. “Fuck, I love you. Yes, please.”

After changing and washing the scent mask off, Lance and Keith rearranged their oversized modular sofa, creating a space that rivaled their king-sized bed. Lance queued their favorites, pulling out the DVDs of harder to find titles. Keith, meanwhile, raided the living room stash of blankets and pillows that he kept for when feeling the need to nest. Lance left him to it, going to the kitchen to collect snacks. By the time he got back, the entire surface of the reconfigured sofa was a nest, Keith happily curled up in the middle of it.

“I probably should have given you guidelines,” Lance said.

“No, you shouldn’t. What you _should_ do is get in here and snuggle me,” Keith answered, reaching for his mate.

Lance sighed and climbed in, setting the snack tray in front of them. When Keith was finally settled, they started their movie night. The opening credits had barely even started when Lance caught a familiar change in Keith’s woody, spiced, smoky scent. He always had an underlying sugared violet note that clearly marked him as an Omega, but he was beginning to smell like a florist’s shop, a layer of wildflowers and roses creeping in.

“Hey, cariño, when’s your next heat?” he asked.

“Couple weeks. Why?”

“You sure about that? You smell like you’re going into pre-heat.”

Keith looked up, confused. “But that would make it at least a week early. I know I’ve always had a weird heat cycle, but it’s regular.” He reached for his phone, pulling up his heat tracker, the one Lance had the companion to that let Keith share his tracked cycles. But looking at it, Keith realized that he was actually right on time. “Oh,” he said, staring at the screen, “I guess I just lost track of it being so busy with recording. It’s fine. Not early after all.”

Most Omegas had a heat cycle of 8-10 weeks, with pre-heat lasting 3 or 4 days and the heat itself for 4-5 but Keith’s had always been odd. Ever since his first heat at age 12, younger than the average 14, his heats had been exactly 6 weeks apart every time. Pre-heats for him ran for 4 days but the heat itself only lasted 3. None of the Omega specialists he’d been to had ever been able to explain it.

“Oh thank fuck for that. But it does explain your mood crash earlier and why you’ve been super snuggly all day,” Lance pointed out.

Lance’s relief was warranted. An Omega in the earliest stages of pregnancy had a very similar scent to heat. It was similar enough that it was difficult to tell until the Omega had been pregnant, and the subtle differences were made apparent.

Keith shrugged in agreement, then added, “But it’s going to get way worse before it gets better.”

Lance looked at him with mock seriousness. “Bring it on, mi cuervo.”

The Omega giggled and pulled his mate in for a quick kiss before snuggling back down.

Keith groaned and buried his head under the blankets the next morning, desperately trying to ignore Lance’s phone going off. So did Lance, but the Alpha gave in, answering the incessant buzzing.

“Yeah?” he said still half asleep.

“Oh good, you're up,” Allura’s voice said, “Don’t forget you need to be here for the shoot at eight. Don’t be late. I have to call the rest of you delinquents now. Bye!” She disconnected without waiting for a response.

Lance stared at his phone for a minute while Allura’s words registered. Then he realized the time. It was 6 am. He quickly checked their schedule for the location of the shoot and realized that it was going to take at least an hour to get there. He rolled over, gently rocking Keith.

“Hey, carajo. We need to be up. It’s gonna take an hour just to get there and we need to be there at eight and it’s already six.”

The Omega growled at him and burrowed deeper.

“Yeah, I know,” Lance said, “Pre-heat sucks. I don’t want to get up either, but we have to. If you get up now, we can stop by Violet’s on the way.” Violet’s was Keith’s favorite bakery and coffee shop, something Lance was well aware of. It was usually a guaranteed way to get his mate moving.

The only response he got was a whimper.

Knowing they didn’t have time, Lance pulled the layers of blanket off. The sudden chill surprised Keith awake, and he latched onto the nearest heat source like a koala, which just happened to be his now startled Alpha.

“Keith, babe. Come on. We really don’t have time for this.” He tried unsuccessfully to get Keith off him. “Raven, please. You know how Allura is if we’re late. And I know how you are if you miss breakfast.”

“No. Need snuggles.”

“And I’ll do what I can during the day, but we really need to get moving.” He sighed, giving in. He always gave in. “Ok, you get five minutes, but then we really need to get up.”

Lance was an attentive mate, and for the full five minutes he promised, he was focused entirely on Keith. He knew what his Omega preferred when in pre-heat. Soft touches, gentle massages, sometimes just being held. Omegas in pre-heat were particularly tactile, and Keith was certainly no exception. He had once told Lance that not being in physical contact would leave him depressed. A totally single Omega didn’t have nearly the problem with it, but once Lance and Keith had started dating, the issue began to come up. They were still in high school then, and for the four days his pre-heat lasted, he was irritable when not near his boyfriend. Once they were bonded, it became more pronounced. If they were working, and close but not touching, Keith would become withdrawn and sullen. Once they were in private, Keith would physically latch on to his mate and not let go.

Once the five minutes were over, Keith reluctantly let go of Lance and they got up to shower and dress. The Alpha tossed his mate the stronger scent mask for heat and pre-heat, and Keith swiped it across his scent gland, only the more overt woods, spice, and smoky scent coming through, and eliminating his Omega sugared violet note and the floral-sweet layer of his pre-heat. Lance fully admitted that he didn’t like losing either of those parts of Keith’s scent, but he knew why they had to. The scent mask made Keith smell like an aggressively scented Beta. It was uncommon, but not unheard of. And that was what they let the world believe, as much as Lance hated it.

Keith slipped a hair tie onto his wrist and checked the time. They would still be able to make it to Violet’s and get to the shoot on time. He opened the group chat as he and Lance took off for the garage. He ignored his name in the chat at that point. It was an old high school nickname, and Pidge wouldn’t let him change it.

**Kiki > We’re All Mad Here**

**Kiki:** we’re on our way. stopping by Violet’s on the way. anyone want anything?

 **Pidgeot:** death in a cup

 **Princess:** Pidge, no.

 **Pidgeot:** Pidge, yes

 **Shirogayne:** iced chai, favoritest little brother in the world?

 **Kiki:** bitch, I’m your only brother

 **ActualCinnamonRoll:** iced black tea, please <3

 **BASSicBitch:** lol, Pidge got yelled at. iced cinnamon latte, pleaseandthankyou

 **Pidgeot:** BITCH, I WILL END YOU

 **ElectricBlue:** Matt, stop trolling your sister. save that shit for when we get there

 **BASSicBitch:** BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 **BASSicBitch:** suck it, Katie

 **BASSicBitch:** and trust me, I will

 **Kiki:** anyway…Allura, did you want anything?

 **Princess:** oh, warm vanilla chai, if you don’t mind

 **ActualCinnamonRoll:** wait, if Keith’s taking orders, and Lance is calling Matt out, which one of you is driving?

 **Kiki:** not at all, Allura. Lance is, Hunk

 **Pidgeot:** DUDE! don’t fucking text and drive! the fuck is wrong with you

 **ElectricBlue:** we were at a red light, it’s fine. like we are right now

 **Kiki:** and now I’ve taken his phone away. so, Pidge wants death in a cup. triple, I’m assuming. iced chai for Shiro, iced black tea for Hunk, iced cinnamon latte for Matt, and a warm vanilla chai for Allura

 **Pidgeot:** Keith, I love you. I need my coffee as dark and bitter as my soul

 **Princess:** …just. no.

 **Pidgeot:** YES

Keith stopped paying attention to the chat at that point. He knew it was just going to devolve into Pidge and Allura going back and forth, Matt trolling his sister, Hunk trying to keep the peace, and Shiro ignoring all of them. Lance pulled into one of the diagonal spots in front of Violet’s, both of them heading into the bakery/coffee shop.

Violet’s was named after the owners’ daughter, Romelle, and her bright violet eyes. She had explained once that it was a childhood nickname her father had given her. The first time they had ever gone, Romelle had made straight for Keith. She noticed that, while darker, he had the same eye color. She was also an Omega like him, not that they’d been able to let her in on the secret. But she was sweet, and maybe a little odd, and they quickly became regulars after that.

Romelle waved frantically at them from behind the display case of pastries. She leaned on the top of the case when they got in line. “Hi! Where are you off to today?” she asked brightly.

“All day photo shoot,” Lance answered.

“Ooh, that sounds like fun.”

“It’s really not,” Keith said, “Well, not anymore, anyway. Obnoxiously bright lights, probably a few clothes changes, and fuck I hope we don’t have to deal with that asshole photographer again.” The last part was more directed at Lance.

“Nah, Allura fired him. Course, that might also have had something to do with how much he was hitting on both you and Pidge,” Lance said.

“Wait, isn’t Pidge an Alpha?” Romelle asked, knowing that particular detail after meeting her several months earlier.

“Yeah, she is,” Keith replied, “And so was the photographer. But she’s small, and he didn’t care about her status.”

“Oh that’s horrible. But anyway, what do you need this morning?”

“Group order. I made the mistake of asking if anyone wanted anything.”

Romelle pulled out her usual bright purple sharpie, ready to go. Keith read off the group’s requests, not forgetting Pidge’s iced coffee with an extra three espresso shots. Keith got an iced milk tea, while Lance got his usual iced cinnamon caramel latte. They added a few of Romelle’s signature pastries, including the enormous, fluffy, cinnamon rolls she made. They left fifteen minutes later with a large white bag with a prominently featured bunch of violets. The rest of the group’s drinks were in there, safely encased in cardboard, pastries nestled in beside them.

Lance’s Spyder had onboard navigation, and with it, they were able to avoid the heaviest traffic, making it to the shoot’s site in plenty of time. Matt and Shiro hadn’t gotten there yet, but Allura, Hunk, and Pidge were already waiting. Pidge pounced on the bag, not even acknowledging her friends.

“Calm down, Pidge! Everything’s there, gimme a minute,” Keith said, holding the bag away from her. Lance took it, keeping it well out of her reach. It then passed to Hunk, who retrieved his tea and a cookie. He handed Allura her chai, and another cookie. Pidge tried to scale him, but Lance grabbed her and pulled her away. Once Keith had his tea in one hand and a cinnamon roll in the other, Lance put Pidge down and took the bag, finally giving her the coffee she wanted. She sat cross-legged in a chair with her huge cup between her legs glaring at them with her arms crossed while she sucked her drink down.

Pidge might have been more focused on her coffee, but the cinnamon roll Keith was tearing apart didn’t go unnoticed by Allura and Hunk. They all knew how much of sweet tooth Keith developed during pre-heats, and Lance knew how much worse it got when his heat finally hit. Allura leaned in, but Keith’s scent mask was very effective.

“Pre-heat already?” she asked quietly.

Keith nodded subtly. “Started last night. I checked. It’s right on time.”

“Well, we’ll keep an eye on it. If you need to step away at all, don’t worry about it. You know that.”

Lance had his free arm wrapped around his mate’s hip, keeping himself in physical contact for as long as possible. Keith leaned into his shoulder, clearly wanting more contact than they could allow where someone might catch on to his real secondary sex.

“Yeah, thanks, Allura.”

“I know you can get through pre-heat, but I’ll reschedule things for your heat. Do you think you could handle phone interviews until then?”

Keith thought about it. In theory he could, no one would be near him to notice, but he couldn’t always keep it out of his voice. If they could do it as a group call where he and Lance could be home, he might be able to.

“Maybe. As long as they’re not live, and we can do a group call so I can be home.”

Allura understood. No live broadcasts, and a way for him to leave if he had to. She would be able to manage it. Most would just write it off as him being a diva vocalist. Nothing they couldn’t handle. More importantly, nothing they hadn’t been handling for the past six years.

Matt and Shiro walked in together. Now that the gremlin had been sated, they were safely able to retrieve their drinks. Matt found the chocolate-chocolate chip-pistachio muffin only he would eat, and he settled down next to his sister, making sure to troll her as much as possible, as promised. Shiro immediately noticed the rapidly disappearing cinnamon roll, coming over with his tea.

“Already? Didn’t think it was time for that yet,” he commented quietly.

“I think we all forgot with the recording schedule,” Keith said, finishing off his cinnamon roll, “But it’s right on time, so nothing to worry about.”

“Just as long as you’re ok.”

Keith snuggled into Lance harder, his Alpha pulling him in. “Yeah, I’m good.”

The photographer walked in then. He was tall and thin, all dark blond hair and tan skin. Shiro was immediately distracted, something Keith found hilarious. They finished off their drinks and breakfast treats, ready to start their day.

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings, my supernatural creatures! So, RIP Delain. They will be missed. Martijn Westerholt will continue to make music under the band's name, but it won't be the same.
> 
> The other reason for posting this is because my laptop's battery died, taking all of my (sadly) unsaved notes and outline for the next chapter of another project I have here, Dormiveglia, with it. So I'm posting to calm down.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think! Kudos, comments, carrier pigeon. . .whatevers :)
> 
> ~Corvus


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